TONS OF MONEY

Redbourn seem to up their game every time I visit, and this was no exception – for a first night it all appeared to run very smoothly, and the cast were obviously comfortable with each other. The whole production was bright and cheerful, full of energy.

The set for this production was excellent – not only looking good, but working well to facilitate the movement of the cast in this pacey farce.  I can always rely on Redbourn to have a classy look for their plays, nicely dressed set and good attention to detail, even down to the backing for when the doors were open, and the glimpse of the garden through the French doors.

Projection was spot on – every word was heard, and the nuances within the script were marked by the cast so that the audience hopefully laughed in the right places!

I thought the play was well-written, with plenty of mayhem and fast passes, which the cast coped with well, including lots of pseudo malapropisms from
Aubrey.

There wasn’t a weak link in the cast – and the presence of newcomer Becky Vernon-Clinch as Louise Allington seemed to breathe new life into everyone – her portrayal was very good – showing the typical rich woman of that era - who expected to live off credit.  She looked and acted the part to a ‘T’, and I hope Becky will become a regular for Redbourn.

Andy Turner, as her long-suffering husband Aubrey, gave a careful but carefree performance – I always like Andy, but thought this was probably one of his better performances in recent years.  He seemed really on top of his game

The part of Aunt Ben is a lovely part, and played to the hilt by Hilary Violentano a good foil to the younger two ladies in the cast, but no shrinking violet, she certainly held her own when on stage.

Lucy Goodchild, as Louise’s friend Jean, gave the part loads of energy and expression, which Lucy always gives, but a freshness and purpose too this time.

I liked Mario Violentano and Kim Marston Taylor as Sprules the butler and Simpson the housekeeper – they developed a good relationship.  Very funny.  They both started off a little tentatively, but grew in confidence over the course of the play.

David Howell as Henery, version 2 of George and brother of Sprules gave an accomplished performance, making the most of his supposed marriage to Jean, creating some humorous moments and I must say that the sombreros, beards and moustaches for all three George’s stayed put and worked really well, if a little over the top to be believable.

The scene where Aubrey was George and went upstairs with Jean and the ensuing creaking bed springs and rocking chandelier was exceedingly funny, and well done.

The final version of George was Matt Pannell, who acted his part well, with good emphasis when he first arrived.  I would have liked to see a little more outrage when he found out he wouldn’t inherit – but otherwise a good performance.

Martin Howe as Giles the gardener managed to get all his interjections exactly right, again creating real fun moments – great timing.  Almost a pity no-one sat on the eggs.

The final member of the cast was Clive Crowther as the solicitor Mr Chesterman, a very dry man, and well done for stepping in at virtually the last minute. That said Clive created a good foil to the more enthusiastic members of the cast, so the dynamics were good.

The bows were accomplished well.  A very enjoyable production, with lots of laughs, good action and reaction, with pace and undoubted enthusiasm.  Good to see a new face on stage – and obviously one who interacted well with the rest of the cast and pulled their performance levels up.

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